Dear Prayer Tip Tuesday and Connection Prayer Devotion Readers,

As members of the Board of Directors of Harvest Prayer Ministries, we have asked permission to send HPM’s 2022 annual year-end letter.

We do so with heavy hearts after the recent passing of our Co-Founder, David Butts (November 26^th, 2022). But we also do so with a sense of God’s providence and His forever faithfulness and goodness to Kim and Harvest Prayer Ministries. As most of you know, Dave had a reoccurrence of cancer diagnosed in July which spread rapidly and without any medical solutions for a recovery. He went into hospice care at the beginning of November, and while we all know God is bigger than man’s best attempts to treat cancer we prayed for God’s best and that He would be glorified whether He healed Dave on earth or in heaven. As Dave often mentioned, either option would be a “win” for him; however, he and Kim began to prepare for a ministry future that might require her to carry on in his physical absence.

As a board we could not be more pleased with how Dave and Kim demonstrated faithfulness to their priorities of relationship with the Lord, each other, their family and ministry. Kim has always been by Dave’s side in helping to carry the ministry forward. Dave’s desire was for Kim to remain fruitful in her calling with HPM. She continues to do so with amazing vigor and is even more determined that his legacy will endure to the glory and praise of the Father.

We are filled with gratitude that God has been at work for several years now positioning our ministry in even greater and more impactful ways for the future than in the past.

For the past five years, and especially in the past few months, HPM has been in succession planning. Strategically, it includes ways in which the existing resources and especially Kim’s ministry, can be not only maintained but accelerated. With that said, the board has unanimously made Kim the new President of Harvest Prayer Ministries. We have every confidence in her leadership abilities and she has our full and complete backing.

2023 and Beyond!

Nearly three months before Dave went to worship at the feet of Jesus, with full board approval, he formed a strategic missional partnership with One Cry for Revival (onecry.com), a highly effective and reputable ten-year-old ministry believing that personal revival of God’s people will lead to a revived church which can have tremendous impact on communities and be used by God to influence the entire nation.

As you know, this fits right in with Harvest Prayer Ministries’ vision to see churches become houses of prayer for all nations in order to see revival and the fulfillment of the great commission. We are filled with joyous hope for all of the kingdom possibilities that lie ahead within this Spirit-influenced partnership.

HOW CAN YOU HELP HARVEST PRAYER MINISTRIES STEP INTO THE FUTURE WITH GREAT KINGDOM EFFECTIVENESS?

As you know Dave and Kim have been the epitome of humility in the way they do ministry. They do not share about themselves. As a result, most do not know the extent of their impact as a couple.

But as a board member for many years, I can attest that the influence they have both had among Christian leaders domestically and globally is beyond incredible. Their teaching, writing, online and influential partnership ministries have perhaps influenced millions.

Dave’s servant leadership in the prayer movement nationally and globally will be deeply missed. Kim does not intend to try to fill this void, as it is not possible; however, she intends to continue to seek God’s heart for whatever doors He opens. She will also continue her writing/teaching/training ministry, as well as continuing to produce Prayer Tip Tuesday and also our daily devotionals: Connection!

HOW CAN YOU HELP?

This is the first time the Harvest Prayer Ministries’ Board of Directors has directly communicated with those who receive Prayer Tip Tuesday and Connection Prayer Devotions. So as we do, please know that we hope you are being blessed in powerful ways by the content HPM creates and freely shares each day/week.  What an honor to report that HPM functions at the highest level of integrity . . . it is lived out everywhere. The frugality and prayer that goes into program/outreach decisions and associated funding decisions creates a culture of widespread trust. WE ARE THANKFUL FOR THAT!

Each year, Harvest Prayer Ministries trusts God for His provision into the New Year. This year we are trusting Him for $50,000 by the end of December. We know this is a big ask – we also know we serve a BIG GOD! We have reached the 50% mark of this goal, but in Dave’s honor and memory we would like to see the ministry he and Kim co-founded in 1993 be set up for an even more fruitful future! The funds go to maintain and advance each of the primary outreaches, including:

 Digital Prayer Ministry – Distributing core content of Dave and Kim through resources such as Connection Prayer Devotions, Prayer Tip Tuesday, blogs, articles, etc. There are so many plans to expand with new content from additional writers also.

 Content Development – Kim is a terrific writer and has plans for more PrayerU courses, several books in process (one on Intimacy that Dave began and she will finish), etc.

 Travel to National Leadership Meetings – Kim continues to serve with the National Prayer Committee.

 Financial Support for Kim’s salary, and for HPM’s administrative assistant, JoLyn Graf.

 Administrative Services – Outsourcing various functions

 PrayerU.com – Marketing and distributing this one-of-a-kind resource of Dave and Kim’s resources so that it can be widely expanded to help individuals and churches grow in prayer!

 Forming a Strategic Partnership with One Cry for Revival, currently functioning under HPM’s 501c3. It will take time and resources as we move forward together.

Will you pray and give?

Would you pray into the future of Harvest Prayer Ministries?

And as the Lord leads, would you invest in the future of our nation through Harvest Prayer Ministries through giving your most generous gift? And please pray for all of us as board members, that we would faithfully multiply the heart cry and voices of both Dave and Kim as we move to implement our 2023 plans!

We know that praying churches can transform people, cultures and nations for God’s glory! One Cry for Revival seeks to awaken people, churches, communities and nations towards spiritual transformation. If there was ever a time for the mission and message of HPM to go forward in strategic partnership it is now. The culture has never been more in need of revival and spiritual awakening.

Thank you in advance for your wonderful partnership and fellowship in the gospel! In Dave’s memory, we ask for your best gift to continue his legacy of prayer into the future.

Mobilizing the church in prayer, together!

Vince McFarland

On Behalf of the Board of Directors

PS

You can give online right now at harvestprayer.com/donate or you can send your check to Harvest Prayer Ministries, PO Box 10667, Terre Haute, IN 47801. If you prefer to give your gift by credit card over the phone you can call JoLyn Graf at our office: 812-230-3130.  PLEASE REMEMBER that each gift must be received or postmarked no later than December 31, 2022. If you give after this date, it will go on your 2023 tax returns.

(Praying through Mary’s Song – Luke 1)

Has the Lord done great things for you? We seem to have just one season that causes us to pause and be mindful of thankfulness. What if we slowed down at least once a day, every day, and thanked God for blessing us? Even when things may not be going well, or we are experiencing dark times in our lives…He is always there beside us – waiting and watching. Waiting for us to seek Him in the midst of our trials or our blessings. Watching – sending His Spirit to comfort, give wisdom and guide us.

Mary, the mother of Jesus, is an excellent biblical example of gratefulness. She was facing an intense season of unknowing what was truly unfolding in her life following the angelic visitation. Put yourself in her place in the moments and months following, imagining what this could have been like for her. Just understanding her pregnancy by the power of the Holy Spirit, and processing the fact that she was going to give birth to the Son of God who would be the Savior of the world, was confusing enough. On top of that, she had to consider Joseph’s response and the scrutiny of those in her village. What could she potentially be facing in terms of her reputation and her upcoming marriage?

And yet, Mary chose to trust God! She believed His words to be complete truth and that He would work out all of the details to accomplish His plans and purposes through her. Mary’s response to the angel: “May it be done to me according to your word.” Is it any wonder that God chose this humble servant through whom to accomplish His redemption of the world?

Here are three prayers from Mary’s song in Luke 1 to help us focus on the goodness of our God during the Christmas season – or anytime! Consider giving thanks each day for one of these amazing truths from the Word!

1. My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has been mindful of the humble state of his servant” (vs. 47-48).

Prayer: Father, I am so grateful that You see me in the midst of my daily life. I trust You to walk with me through the good, the dark, the difficult and the amazing! My faith grows as You pay attention to every detail in my life! May humility mark my life each day so that I don’t think more highly of myself than I should. My soul will continually glorify You and my spirit will rejoice in Jesus, my Savior, the Light of the World!

2. …for the Mighty One has done great things for me – holy is his name (vs. 49).

Prayer: Mighty One – You have done great things for me throughout my life! I am so grateful that You redeemed me through the birth, death and resurrection of Your only Son, Jesus Christ! Your name is holy! Help me to honor You each day!

3. His mercy extends to those who fear him, from generation to generation (vs. 50).

Prayer: Merciful Father, how grateful I am that Your mercy extends from one generation to the next of those who live in awe of You. Cover my generation and those to come with Your grace, peace, strength, hope and power! Fill the generations with hope as we consider the miracle of Your humble servant, Mary, who received Your assignment to bear the Savior of the World with simple faith.  May Your great mercy fill our hearts and may every generation bring glory to Your Name!

Once a year, it’s usual and appropriate to prayerfully look back, remember, assess, and reflect on how the year has gone…and then to prayerfully take a look forward…seeking the heart of God about how to live more grace-filled, courageous lives that bring glory to His Kingdom.

I suggest that, despite all that has changed, been different or unsettling, or that has challenged the limits of our faith – we should not be paralyzed in our efforts to see God at work in the midst of it all. Allow the Father to show you the joy-filled blessings in your life also. Sometimes the difficult times overshadow the many goodnesses of God.

Here is a prayerful way to process all that has happened in the midst of your relationships with God and others, and to look forward to what lies ahead. I hope it will be a blessing to you:

Sit in silence for a few minutes daily – perhaps light a candle as a reminder that Jesus is the Light of the World, and that you are seated in His presence. Breathe out any burden, heartache, pain, fear, uncertainty or anger. Breathe in His peace.

Remind yourself that He is very near as you pray from Psalm 46:1-3, “Lord Jesus, thank You for being my refuge and strength, an ever-present help in times of trouble. Because of Your presence I will not fear…even if the earth gives way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea…though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging.”

Reflect on all that has swirled around you this year:

• Name the things that stand out from this past year as you sit in the stillness.
• Invite God to meet you in the midst of every remembered situation, relationship, struggle or joy that comes to mind.
• Take time to imagine Him being near in every circumstance even if you cannot remember His presence when the event happened. Ask Him to show you where He was in the midst of everything that comes to mind. Thank Him for His presence.
• Ask Him to help you to find joy and peace in whatever has caused turmoil or distress.
• Give God thanks for everything He has walked you through. Thank Him for the blessings, expected and unexpected, that have come your way.
• Thank Him for the way He has shown up in your life this past year.

Have you reflected Christ to others in the midst of the upheaval, fear, anger, angst, violence, uncertainty and pain? Ask God to show you those who have experienced His love or encouragement through you this past year…and those who haven’t. Ask Him to bring to mind those who have experienced darkness, pain or distress, but have seen and experienced extraordinary love, forgiveness, patience, peace, kindness, generosity and even joy from Jesus living within you. When God shows you those who needed encouragement, peace, etc. from you and didn’t receive it, ask God for His forgiveness. Ask for His help and strength to reflect Jesus better and more fully in your relationships in this new year.

Have you prayed for those who have disagreed with you or done harm to you and/or others this year? Think about every painful, frustrating or difficult experience with others and release each person to God. Ask Him to restore your joy and give you a deep desire to pray for His presence to be evident in their lives. Ask Him to help you to learn to love those who may have persecuted you or treated you badly this past year.

Has your life been marked by forgiveness? Ask the Father to give you the grace gift of forgiveness to extend to each person who came to your mind in #5. Ask God to forgive you for each person you may have damaged by your words or actions as He brings them to mind. Next, ask Him to show you anyone you may need to go to and ask to be forgiven by. Determine to set things right in any relationship that has been damaged. Deny any attempts of the enemy to make you feel guilty. There is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:1). Receive His pleasure as you seek His heart in each circumstance and relationship.

What does God have for you in this new year? Take time to seek the heart of God for your direction and purpose. Perhaps He will give you a Scripture, a word of encouragement or a challenge. Ask Him to fill you with His hope, joy and peace. Most of all, ask Him to strengthen your desire to carry the Light of the World into the darkness with every step, word, and action. Renew your desire to be His hands and feet in great love.

End this time in silence. As your time of reflection comes to a close, give thanks to Father, Son and Holy Spirit for meeting with you in this season of prayer. Sit quietly for a few moments in the peace of His presence. When you feel ready, blow out the candle and carry His presence into the world.

(c) Harvest Prayer Ministries

Some of Kim’s Books

Scheduling Contact:

Email: kim@harvestprayer.com

Phone: 812-230-3130

There is an enormous untapped prayer potential in the Church that is underused because they are not often recognized as one of God’s most powerful armies – our senior citizens and those who find themselves in unexpected life circumstances. There are millions of Christ-followers in this population who may be feeling lonely, marginalized and uncertain as to what they should or can do in this season of their lives.

It is also a very real issue for people who find themselves retired, widowed, dealing with physical illness or experiencing a disability. When believers find themselves in a different place in life than they expected,  they can sometimes  suffer due to inactivity, boredom or feelings of uselessness…maybe one of them is you!

One extremely important point to bring up in this conversation is that the enemy of our souls, Satan himself, is targeting a generation of believers who have been on the frontlines of intercession, or who soon could be if trained and given the opportunity! They need prayer and to have the armor of God firmly in place in order to stand in this moment.

What if this large group of “most vulnerable” could be mobilized, trained and unleashed in the ministry of intercession and encouragement? Many of them already are, of course! If you think of the people in your church who are the “intercessors,” many of them are older. There is a depth of wisdom and power as they, like Anna and Simeon, have positioned themselves to pray with great expectation for revival, the lost, and for the needs of their church, community, nation and the nations of the world.

However, there are large numbers of believers who feel that their usefulness is over, or who find that they need a new purpose for their lives. Can you imagine what the power of prayer could do to energize, encourage and sustain people who want to be useful in this hour, but just don’t know what to do? Prayer is not a comfortable conversation for many of them, because they have never been trained to know how to have true intimacy with God, and to enter His throne room in passion-filled prayer. If ever there was a time to grow an army of intercessors, it’s now. Ephesians 4:16 says, “Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” This is definitely a time of need for the entire world.

Although this blog is focused on the “most vulnerable” population, it is vital to reach out and utilize similar principles with those who are not! Prayer is the intergenerational power house of God, fueled by those who will seek His face in intimacy, listen for His desires for His kingdom purposes and, who will, through the power of the Holy Spirit, pray for His kingdom to come, and His will to be done on earth as it is in heaven.

Mobilizing the Army:

Let’s start out by identifying some potential mobilizers:

• Pastors and church leaders: What might happen if you leveraged the prayer potential in your congregation? What would God be pleased to do in response to His people seeking Him on behalf of all He wants to do in your midst? In your ministry? For missions? For your community? For your nation and the ends of the earth? Who in your congregation could you connect with to encourage, mobilize and train to pray for your church and the mission of the church in this season? Could you begin an online prayer time regularly to train and encourage people of all ages to pray?

 We held a weekly 30-minute prayer time on FaceTime Live for our church for 8 weeks at the beginning of Covid-19 after our church closed its building. The prayer meeting has continued monthly since. We have had more people show up online than had ever come to a corporate prayer gathering at the building. Our church family and others have been learning how to “pray now” by lifting up prayers with their fingers in the chat section. When someone has a prayer need, others literally gather around them and pray for them. We ask them not to just say they are praying, but to actually write a prayer for the people they are praying for. Those who wouldn’t normally pray out loud in a group have felt okay about stretching their prayer muscles by praying with their fingers! So many are being blessed and encouraged! People are stretching and growing in prayer.

Platforms such as Zoom can be used to train your church family to pray also! If people want to be seen they can, or they can join by audio only. Take advantage of this technology to train people how to pray for one another, for your churches, communities, nation and world!

• Prayer Warriors: If you are already a passionate intercessor, crying out as a watchman on the wall, what might you do to mobilize others to do the same? Perhaps you have been engaged in prayer on your own or with others, but have felt a bit displaced since you have been unable to meet with those you are used to gathering with for corporate or small group prayer…or even with a regular prayer partner. What could you do to change this situation?

• Retirement Villages, Nursing Homes and Assisted Living Facilities: As we mentioned above, seniors are a largely untapped source of prayer power! Believers who live or work in these places can have a huge impact simply by praying for others and encouraging other residents to do the same. Pray for people in person or send notes with prayers written in them to other residents. Invite others to learn how they can pray for those living and working in their place of residence and then teach by example as well as provide help for those who struggle with prayer.

Some random thoughts and ideas:

Invite the already willing – it won’t take much to get those who already have a lifestyle of prayer and intercession to get on board with intentional prayer assignments. Pastors and church leaders should connect with them and share vision for interceding in this critical hour of history. They will readily agree! Engage them as your most valued allies in recruiting and training others to stand on the front lines! Encourage, value and communicate with them regularly! They are already praying for you, and for the church and beyond.

 Ask these intercessors to help you recruit others, or at least give you names of those who might be willing to join the battle on their knees. These will likely be people who are already praying people but may not have connected with any kind of corporate expression of prayer in the past.

Can you imagine nursing homes and senior centers becoming houses of prayer? All it takes is one or two proactive seniors with a passion for Jesus and some encouragement and training to make this a reality. Consider how to unleash this untapped resource as you put names of intercessors on your list of those to contact. Let them know they are NEEDED.

Invite those on your newly acquired list of possibilities to join you and other intercessors to intercede, letting them know how valuable this ministry of prayer is to you, the church, and to the kingdom plans and purposes of God.

Encouragement and training:

Once you have some people interested in moving forward in the ministry of intercession, follow up right away. Don’t worry about numbers. Start with who you have and watch it grow as God begins to move in response to the prayers of His people crying out to Him. People are attracted to fires, and when the Holy Spirit engages with the most vulnerable, others will want to be a part.

Encourage them, offer solid training to help them move forward, and communicate well! Some of these people may never have considered themselves to be intercessors, even though every single believer is called to do so:

“Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful” (Colossians 4:2).

Additional Ideas: Let’s look at a few things that can be done to mobilize, train and unleash this army of intercessors (even if they have never considered themselves an intercessor before) into the world-changing, kingdom-advancing purposes of God:

• Those who are outgoing and social might enjoy calling others and praying for them by phone.
• Some might enjoy writing notes of prayer-filled encouragement for those who express a need.
• Teach them to pray Scriptures over others, using the Word of God as their prayers.
• This is the Year of the Bible – encourage those who can to read the Bible out loud during this season and pray as they feel led.
• Pastors, encourage intercessors to pray over your sermon text and for you as you both prepare and preach!
• Realize that giving the ministry of prayer to seniors and health challenged people will give them a sense of value and worth. Having purpose is powerful.

These are just a few thoughts and ideas to train vulnerable people to be valuable intercessors for the Kingdom of God. Obviously in-person experiences are limited right now; however, you can effectively use email, Zoom, YouTube or Vimeo, or whatever platform you are using for your Sunday services if you have been online. Also, a phone call or snail mail works great too! Think outside the box using these ideas as a catalyst to enlist a powerful prayer force for God’s Kingdom!

(c) Harvest Prayer Ministries

Some of Kim’s Books

Scheduling Contact:

Email: kim@harvestprayer.com

Phone: 812-230-3130

Many of us are carrying burdens these days. Do you find it as difficult as I do to just bring them to the feet of the Lord, set them down, and ask Him to take them upon Himself? 1 Peter 5:7 says, “Let him have all your worries and cares, for he is always thinking about you and watching everything that concerns you.”

If you are anything like me, sometimes I set a burden down then grab it up again. This is completely a lack of trust on my part. Leaving my burdens with Jesus results in freedom, joy and peace! So, I decided to study some of the Scriptures that speak of the attentiveness of God to the burdens I carry in my heart.

As I studied, I wrote prayers to go with each Scripture. I hope they will help to jumpstart your own prayers as you trust Him to lift the worry, concern and anxiety from you during stress-filled seasons:

Psalm 143:1

Hear my prayer, O Lord; listen to my plea! Answer me because You are faithful and righteous.

Father, no matter what burden I am carrying, I can trust that You will not only listen, but that You will also be faithful and righteous as You answer. Sometimes my burdens are heavy and difficult as I lay them at Your feet with loud frustration. Other times, I may not even be able to speak, but only utter pleas that have no words. Please give me courage and strength during these times so that I am able to lay down the burden and walk away, knowing that You will handle it as You have promised!

Psalm 3:3–4

But You, O Lord, are a shield around me; You are my glory, the one who holds my head high. I cried out to the Lord, and He answered me from His holy mountain.

Thank You, Father, for being my protector and defender. There are many days when my head is down because I am so burdened, but You are the lifter of my head. You help me to look up and out and beyond my worries. When I cry to You, asking for peace, You answer me!

Romans 8:26

Also, the Spirit helps us with our weakness. We do not know how to pray as we should. But the Spirit Himself speaks to God for us, even begs God for us with deep feelings that words cannot explain.

Holy Spirit, when I am feeling week and unsure about how to pray, You are there! Sometimes there are just no words to describe the feelings and I just feel inadequate to express the depth of emotion in my soul. Thank You for crying out to God on my behalf, and for coming alongside of the depth of my pain, hurt, disappointment, fear, frustration, or whatever else I am going through when life is difficult. Instead of being ashamed before God, I can trust that You will carry my burdens to His understanding, loving heart.

Ephesians 1:19–20

I also pray that you will understand the incredible greatness of God’s power for us who believe Him. This is the same mighty power that raised Christ from the dead and seated Him in the place of honor at God’s right hand in the heavenly realms.

Powerful, miracle-working God, help me to remember that there is nothing I will ever walk through that You can’t handle. The same mighty power that raised Jesus from the dead is always at work in my life. I believe You are able, Lord! Walk me through this time of uncertainty, and hold my burdens as Your own. Fill me with peace and the knowledge of Your continual presence moment by moment.

 Jude 1:24

Now all glory to God, who is able to keep you from falling away and will bring you with great joy into His glorious presence without a single fault.

Grace-filled Father, sometimes I am tempted to doubt Your goodness when my burden is so heavy. I don’t understand why I resist giving it into Your care. I know that You are able to keep me from falling away from Your love, even when others I know walk away and turn their backs on You during difficult times in their lives. I don’t always understand why I struggle when I have placed my trust in Your heart. I know that when I can’t figure out how You are moving, Your heart is always for me. Show me how to experience great joy in Your “glorious presence” as I willingly release my burdens and allow You to carry them.

God is for us, even when life seems against us. Burdens can sometimes be gifts we carry so that God can reveal more about His character.  What burden are you carrying today that you want to prayerfully give to God? Spend some time releasing it into God’s care. He wants to help you break free and experience rejoicing. Trust His heart. He is the God of miracles who raised Jesus from the grave. His heart is for you.

© Harvest Prayer Ministries

Some of Kim’s Books

Scheduling Contact:

Email: kim@harvestprayer.com

Phone: 812-230-3130